


Let Her Go

by Descended_from_Hufflepuffs



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Suprise surprise umbridge is still the same when she wears blue, and the others - Freeform, but mostly those two, elsa helps, mal too, obscurial if there ever was one, poor jane though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:47:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21764758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs/pseuds/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs
Summary: All her life, Jane was pushed away from her magic. One day, she's reintroduced to it.
Relationships: Jane & Evie, Jane & Mal (Disney: Descendants), Jane and Jay, Minor Jane/Carlos
Kudos: 41





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I have a million other things to be writing but I had an idea so here

_ 5 years old- _

Jane giggled and waved her hands, clapping as the ball of light moved where she pointed. She wasn’t sure where the light came from, all she remembered was wanting a fun toy and the light ball appeared.

“What are you laughing at, dear?” Her mother’s voice drifted from the doorway, as light and cheery as usual.

“Look, Mama! It moves!” Jane giggled again, making the light ball hover near her mother’s face. It must have been a trick of the light that made it look like she was scowling; why would she be mad Jane had a new toy. She said some words and the ball disappeared, leaving the room much darker than before.

“Next time, ask mommy if you want a new toy, okay deary?” Her mother leaned down and pat her head, handing her her favorite stuffed bear before leaving the room

_ 10 years old- _

Jane frowned at the dress she was supposed to wear on her first day of school. It was nice and all but it wasn’t as nice as she knew everyone else’s would be. Which meant she was probably going to get picked on again.

She didn’t want that.

She envisioned her perfect dress, something less frilly and more simple. Maybe lose the bows and bring the hem up some. Her fingers pointed to where she’d make changes and she smiled as they happened before her eyes. In just a few minutes, her dress changed from a frilly poofy abomination no one above the age of five would wear and into something more understated and mature, more suited for a girl her age.

She put it on and ran down the stairs excitedly, presenting her new look to her mom with a twirl. “What do you think? I made it myself!”

Her mother turned around and her smile became very strained. “You made it? How...nice.”

Jane stood still and the smile melted off her face. “Y-You don’t like it?”

Her mother smiled and giggled. “Oh, it’s alright. It’s just a bit...plain, don’t you think? But perhaps it suits you better than the one I made you,” she sighed, turning back to her coffee.

Jane looked down at her dress with a frown. It was plain, wasn’t it? She could practically hear the taunts of  _ plain Jane _ following her around school. Slowly, the dress transformed back to its original form. Mother was right. She shouldn’t wear something so plain.

_ 15 years old _

Jane smoothed the skirt of her dress, the same one her mother picked out for her that morning, every morning for the last year. Once, she added lace around the hip; she changed it back when her mother pointed out how wide it made her hips looked. 

She fixed her headband in the mirror, the same one she’d been wearing the last two years. Once, she made the bow magenta; she turned it back to blue when her mother pointed out how it clashed with her outfit.

She walked out of the bathroom, clutching her books to her chest. She hadn’t used magic in nearly a year, too ashamed to try. Not even a single spell she’d tried met her mother’s approval. So why bother? Even if she liked changing her clothes and making little light shows and making funny faces, it wasn’t good. Even when she was young, she’d been taught the dangers of magic, how it ruined people’s lives. She stopped pointing out how it had helped people five years ago.

She walked down the hall, not looking into the eyes of the other students. She stopped trying to make friends five years ago. Who wanted to befriend the useless fairy who still wore Mommy’s Top Picks?

She ignored the magic bubbling under her skin and her wings that ached to be stretched. Some days it felt she might burst if she couldn’t do a spell. But she didn’t; she never did. Using magic was wrong and it hurt people and it made Mom upset so she wouldn’t. She would push it down and bite her nails and be quiet and wait until she could maybe possibly be someone’s fairy godmother before she used magic and even then only the proper amount. That was the right way of things.

At least, that’s what she thought.

  
Before  _ they _ came.


	2. Holding too tight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fairy Godmother thinks her daughter could use a lesson in respect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning, this chapter gets a little dark, especially towards the end.

The way Mal freely used magic was surprising to Jane. She'd never been able to before and here she was, flawlessly pulling off hair spells. Fairy Godmother didn't approve of course but she couldn't make Mal stop.

Jane wished she was like that.

After the coronation, Mal apologized for preying on her insecurities. "I wasn't thinking about you or even me, just doing my mother's work. I'm sorry you got hurt." Perhaps she and Mal weren't all that different after all.

She got a little courage and spelled her hair to be the way she wanted it. She tried out for the cheer team and made it. She started asking herself what she wanted instead of what her mother wanted. As much as she’d doubted the VKs when they arrived, they’d taught her a lot about self confidence and self expression, with Jay’s long hair and Mal’s magic and Carlos’s insistence on keeping the leather and even Evie’s tiara’s inspired her.

Fairy Godmother noticed of course. How could she ignore the way her daughter didn’t seem to care about her opinion anymore. She was using magic, getting involved in school, wearing non-approved clothes, even styling her own hair! Most mothers would be proud of how much their children had grown but, for all her sweetness, she was a bit of a control freak. She was used to being in control, like how she changed Cinderella’s fate. If only everyone else listened to her….

With Cinderella fixed and gone, she’d decided to focus her efforts on Jane, making sure she didn’t use too much magic or showy clothes. It was important that she learn mother does truly know best. “Jane dear, you’re finally home! Where do you go after school? It’s like I hardly see you anymore.” 

Jane rolled her eyes. “Mom, I was at cheer practice. I told you, I made the team.”

“Oh, that’s right! Well, maybe I should pick you up next time. It’s awfully late for you to be walking home.”

“Mom, it’s 4 o’clock. The sun is still out. I’m not a little girl and I can handle myself in broad daylight.” Jane was getting frustrated. Ever since she started actually thinking for herself, her mother was trying to infringe more and more on her life.

“I’m just worried about you dear. You’re doing all these new things….”

“Well, I am a teenager. That’s kind of what we do. Try new things.”

“I just think you’re moving a bit fast. I mean, magic, new clothes, new hair, and cheerleading? All in a month? Maybe you should step back a bit.”

“No,” Jane snapped, and for a moment, her eyes appeared to glow. “I’m not moving too fast! Maybe it seems that way but if you weren’t such a control freak, maybe I would’ve done some of these things sooner!”

Fairy Godmtoerh’s eyes narrowed. “Young lady, you will not speak to me like that! Go to your room!”

“What if I don’t?”

“I wasn’t asking.”

Jane’s leg started moving, seemingly of their own accord. “You can come back donw when you’ve lost that attitude,” Fairy Godmother called after her, turning back to the kitchen to start making dinner. The child needed to learn…. It might take drastic measures but she needed to learn.

Over the next month, things did not change. Jane still lived her life the way she always wanted and now she had a boyfriend. And a VK boyfriend no less! Fairy Godmother supposed she should be thankful it was Carlos instead of Jay (who knows what that ruffian would do to her little girl?) but her wings were ruffled over the whole affair. She’d originally wanted to take her time and try to talk Jane down from this road but something in her snapped when she saw Jane looking at her wings.

Personally, she’d never liked the things. She never had wings herself, a rather uncommon thing among fairies, so she never imagined her daughter would have them. She didn’t like the way they looked, all patterned and shiny and flashy; they didn’t suit her little girl at all. She never thought to do anything about it until now; harming a fairy's wings was an unspoken no-no in their world. But now...she had to do something. If she started  _ liking _ her wings, she would want to use them. And then she would be truly gone.

Late at night, she snuck into her daughter’s room and gently drew her wings out, careful not to wake her. She held the scissors ready but somehow couldn’t bring herself to make the cut.  _ Just two snips, clip them, keep her grounded… _ It took a lot of effort but somehow, she did it. One of the worst things a fairy could do to their own kind. She wasn’t even sure she did it right, it was all such a blur…. 

  
But now it as done. Jane was hers.  _ Forever…. _


	3. Finally Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two kindred souls meet and share their pain. The eldest one decides to do something about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I just posted chapter two earlier but I was really feeling this fic today. Hope you enjoy!

Jane stood on the balcony, watching the party going on below. The celebration in the ballroom, muffled by the doors, was a similar hullabaloo, a new tradition of celebrating magic. The past five years had been a major turning point for the magical community of Auradon with Ben pushing all sorts of legislation that allowed more and more usage of magic (with some restrictions of course). Why, just a few days ago, Jane had received an invitation to attend the Samhain ball in Pixie Hollow!

If only she could attend….

Her mother clipped her wings when she was sixteen. It was a poor job and mostly healed but she still couldn’t use them properly. Technically she could still go (some fairies didn’t have wings at all and they still planned on going) but somehow having non-functioning wings seemed more embarrassing than a complete lack of.

The doors opened behind her as a new figure joined her outside. “You needed some air too?” a regal, yet playful, voice greeted her.

She turned to see the former Queen Elsa in all her frosty glory. After Beast put a ban on magic, she put Anna in charge of Arendelle and went back to her home in the forests and the mountains, where she would be free to do as she pleased. With the restrictions mostly lifted under Ben, she felt safe to return home and mingle with the non-magics and was named as Anna’s advisor just last month.

“Hello, Elsa,” she greeted stiffly. “It’s a bit much...I’m normally behind the scenes on these things….”

Elsa chuckled and rested against the railing. “Yeah, I get that. After twenty years of living in the wilderness, I still feel a little weird at parties. Not that I was ever good at them ...”

Jane smiled and shrugged. “No one can blame us. We spend years being shunned and oppressed and all of a sudden people want to celebrate it. It’s nice but…”

“Feels like too little too late?”

“Something like that.”

Elsa sighed. “Yeah...at least my parents didn’t know what to expect from my magic when they told me to suppress it. Everyone in that ballroom had aide from magic in some way! And they still turned us away.”

Jane nodded, very familiar with the way a parent can do more harm than good. “My mother didn’t like me to use magic. She said it was dangerous and I should never touch it. I still did when I was little but she never approved so I just stopped for a long time. It wasn’t until I met Mal that I actually felt okay about using it. Mom did not like that al all, especially after I discovered my wings. She tried to clip them; did a horrible job of it but they’re still not quite right.”

Elsa listened to her story, clenching her fists around the railing. “Your mother as in...Fairy Godmother?” That didn’t make sense; she was practically a figurehead of magic in Auradon. Surely she of all people would encourage her daughter in the area of magic? And trying to clip her daughter’s wings...who would do that?

“Yeah, that’s her. Bit of a control freak. We butted heads a lot after I started feeling some self-worth. I moved out as soon as I could and I try to avoid her at work.”

“Understandable,” the former queen murmured. “I just realized I left Olaf by the fire. Give me a moment.” She left a concerned Jane on the balcony and headed for the other end of the ballroom, where a certain Fairy Godmother was standing and smiling as if she weren’t guilty of the worst crime in magic.

“Can we have a moment alone?” she hissed, pulling her out of the room without waiting for a response.

“Your highness, this is highly-” she was cut off by a blast of cold air as Elsa hurtled her down the long hall. 

“Don’t talk. For once, shut up and listen!” she growled, stalking toward her. “You dare to come here tonight, a celebration of magical tradition, when you denied your own daughter her heritage? I never would’ve invited you if I’d known you were a criminal!”

Fearful eyes stared as she approached. “I-I’m not sure what you mean?”

“Oh, aren’t you?” she growled. “I just had a very interesting conversation with your daughter. I’ve seen what she can do but I always wondered why she seemed so..ametuer for her age. I would’ve imagined the daughter of Fairy Godmother would’ve been a prodigy. But now that I know the truth, I’m surprised she’s come along so quickly. Perhaps I’ll take her under my  _ wing _ . She could learn a thing or two from the  _ second _ most powerful being in Auradon, Hades being the most powerful of course.” She towered over the fairy, glaring daggers at the shaking figure. “I’m sure the Council of Magic would be interested to learn their most beloved figure  _ clipped her own daughter’s wings _ .”

“NO! Please, don’t! I-I’ll do anything you ask just don’t tell anyone!” Fairy Godmother begged.

Elsa’s hand glowed as she held it above her head. “I should kill you here and now for it. But I won’t; I don’t think Jane would like the night to be spoiled. So I’ll say this: leave her alone. Don’t try to speak to her. Leave the palace, renounce your position on all Magic Boards and Councils. Go away and live the rest of your life thinking about how you wronged your own flesh and blood. GO!”

Fairy Godmother disappeared from the room, teleporting outside and running for her car. She would do it. She had too. No one could know….

\--------------------

Over the next few weeks, Elsa became a mentor of sorts for Jane. She lent her books on fae history, searched for new spells to try, and invited her to the old ice palace for practice. She wanted Jane to learn about her heritage and reach her full potential, something that she knew firsthand was a journey one shouldn’t take alone.

Jane flourished under Elsa’s teaching. Finally, after all this time, she had someone experienced to encourage her magical education! She learned so much about herself and her heritage, often staying up past midnight for just one more page or one more spell. She called Elsa almost every day to ask questions or get a lead to an answer. As she grew in magic, she started to grow in other areas of her life; she even managed to convince Ben to mandate magical education across the United States of Auradon.

One day, Jane called Elsa’s office under the pretense of asking for advice on hosting Arendelle royalty. “Elsa...can I ask you something?”

“Always, dear. Is it about that new spellbook I gave you?”

“Not this time. I just wanted to know if you had anything to do with my mother suddenly dropping all of her positions and running off to live in a cabin in the woods.”

“....I might have.”

“I thought so.”

The silence was defeaning as Elsa suddenly realized she probably should’ve asked before making such a drastic demand. “...Are you mad at me?” she asked timidly.

“No, actually. I thought I would be but…. I won’t say you were right but I’m glad she’s gone. I think she held us back for a long time...she could’ve done something about magic in Auradon but she never did. I think she just liked having the power….”

Elsa chuckled. “Maybe. I’m just glad you still want to talk to me.”

“Always. You make me feel proud of my magic.”

“I’m glad I could help. See you soon.”

“See you.”

\-----------------------------------------

When Jane first discovered that her wings were clipped, all she could feel was pain. Even after they healed, there was still the ache of something lost, something violated. She didn’t go to school for weeks, leaving through the backdoor every day and walking in the woods around the campus for hours, just trying to process everything. She only came back to school to see Carlos, and even then it took a while for her to open up. When she finally did, Carlos held her while she cried and looked for therapy options.

He came across a support group for Traumatized Magical Folk, headed by Maleficent. She was nervous about attending until Mal said she went to it regularly. Turns out having magic bottled up inside you hurts even when you can’t always feel it. Her first meeting was a bit awkward as all first times were, especially when Maleficent asked to see her after the session. Jane was worried she’d done something wrong or that her mother meant she wouldn’t be welcome and she was surprised when Maleficent congratulated her on her bravery for coming. Maleficent told her about how Phillip removed her wings in lieu of killing her for his own gain and praised her for handling her own situation as well as she had. 

It was easier to talk to Elsa about it. It had happened years ago and she’d mostly been able to process it, though it still hurt to think about some days. One day, Elsa told her there was a chance her wing could be fixed. One of Doug’s cousins had developed a light but strong brace that would give her botched wing the support it needed. Jane agreed to a trial and was fitted a few days later.

Flying, really flying, for the first time was, for lack of better words, truly magical. For the first time in her life, she felt at peace with herself. She barely even felt her brace as she flew over Auradon, seeing her world in a whole new way. She started keeping her wings out and took to hovering around the office, finding that she thought better off her feet. She made a point to fly to Arendelle to thank Elsa for all she’d done for her.

Finally, Jane felt free.


End file.
